Hymn

[voorishsign]

A paean to true holiness, spiritual purity, and sacred enlightenment. Based on an incense blend sacred to the Virgin Mary: perfect rose absolute and Palestinian Lily of the Valley with olibanum, labdanum, frankincense and myrrh.

Was frimped this I don't think it'll work on my skin but I'm determined to skin-test every oil I get my hands on, so:

In the imp - lily of the valley, myrrh, frankincense.

On wet - mostly pure lily of the valley and rose, very floral but timelessly so.

Drydown - Rose more noteable now. Very light and pure, and ladylike. Good for anointing my Mary pendant, but not for wear

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Definitely a bit of lily of the valley and some resins

 

On Application

Awful rose

 

Dry Down

This goes funky rose/toilet spray after a while. Not a good mix for me.

 

Rating (0-5)

0

 

[pandorasmuse]

In the imp: Sweet and gently floral.

 

Wet: More astringent than I would have expected. Very obviously incense-y.

 

Drydown: Getting soapy…

 

Later: Soap and incense. It’s rosy incense, but still. Not for me, I’m afraid.

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial – Floral, but almost cologne-y.

On the skin – Very much lily, rather than rose, with a musky undertone.

Dry – The rose comes out more dry, like a deep red rose.

[impolight]

:::HYMN:::

 

Sin & Salvation produces some really gnarly and profound fragrances.

Hymn seems as though it's gonna be nothin' but trouble.

Frankincensational with Rose Absolute? Heck yup! Olibanumazing!

Myrrh is always a welcome presence in the Lab's formulas... Love the sharpness of it!

From the Imp: This is so incredibly bright! The Lily completely takes the reins of Hymn and flares up with a near magnesium intensity; a dazzling brilliance that will have you seeing green and purple after images.

The Frankincense closely follows suit and thoroughly sweetens and brightens the formula. The Labdanum takes on subtle characteristics of Amber here, but behaves alot more like Ambergris. The Rose is surprisingly docile here...

On the Skin: Rose and Frankincense.

This is very much what a somber religious service would be.

Hymn is rosy incense...

A good substitute for the Cross of Sanctus Germanus, just more emphasis on floral aspects.

Great for Him or Her!

Hymn is serenity personified through the sense of smell.

Outstanding job, again, by Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs!

5 out of 5.

[Floria]

On me, this was, as I anticipated, a sort of incense-floral blend. The floral aspect reminded me of rose Bee and Flower soap. I didn't really get an ecclesiastical feeling from this, maybe because my religious upbringing didn't involve church incense - to me it had more of an import or curio shop feel (probably the incense), but lighter, more floral, and not as many hippie associations. It seems to have good lasting power as well, at least if it isn't in a position where it would easily get washed off.

This may wind up being one of my favorites.

[undream]

i love this; it's so sweet & dusty with something very clean and earthy anchoring everything down. i don't get any rose at all (boo! i love rose), but i definitely recognize the lily after re-reading the description. however it seems to me overall simply a very sweet, beautiful floral. pure. feminine.

 

love it!

[invisible iris]

In the imp, shriekingly sharp floral. Mostly rose.

 

Applied to my skin, the resins begin to show. Mostly frankincense. In combination with the florals (both rose and Lily of the Valley now), it's a sharp and slightly funky scent.

 

By the time it dries, the rose has amped to high heaven! And taken over the whole thing, except for something musty is lurking in the base of the scent. It doesn't even come across as incensey (I usually like incense notes). The florals seem to have blocked all but the worst qualities of the olibanum & frankincense, and this is just a high-pitched musty rose. And then, to add insult to injury, it starts to smell rank and like cat pee.

 

Verdict: Skin chemistry disaster.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Lily, with rose. Where are the resins?

 

On skin: Hymn begins in bright, high lily. Rose asserts itself briefly while wet on my skin, but vanishes upon drydown and never returns. The resins now appear: I don't detect any familiar frankincense and myrrh, so the labdanum and olibanum may be dominating here. I wonder if olibanum smells a little mossy, because that's what I'm getting here... Anyway, Hymn winds up a slightly dissonant mix of shrill lily mellowed by light resins, with nary a sign of rose.

 

Verdict: Alas, Hymn doesn't really work out for me, I was hoping to smell more resins and rose. I can identify the potential contrast between soaring florals and pious, hallowed resins that would be characteristic of a hymn (other Sin & Salvation blends such as Penitence and Rose Cross display similar note contrasts), but the notes never quite harmonize well and end up slightly discordant. How unfortunate!

[sabrebabe]

In the bottle: Lily of the Valley, some rose, something “soapy” smelling, hint of myrrh.

On me: Lily of the Valley and rose, blended. Not much of anything else, but the “soapy” backnote.

Dry: Lily of the Valley and rose have really amped up and are very flowery sweet. I can’t detect any other scent.

Really, it’s too flowery and soapy for me. To the trade pile.

[angelmecha]

In Imp: Florals... yeah, I'm terrible at picking out floral notes... and I'm not sure what olibanum or labdanum smell like. I'm hopeless in this review. Sooo, um... it's definitely a lot of rose, kind of a classic perfume scent, I guess.

Wet: I must be getting lily now (I know and love the note of stargazer lily, and this is less aquatic but similar), but there's a dark red rose note underneath it. I'm not getting any incense from this, despite the myrrh and frankincense.

Drydown: Bubbles. I don't know why so many floral BPALs make me think of bubble formula, but they do. Otherwise, as far as florals go, this isn't bad... but they're just not my thing. It's rosey and bright, holy and mysterious. I just feel that florals never hit me with as much of a mental image as some other blends do. I'll be the first to blame my complete inability to comprehend floral notes; therefore I can't really associate anything mentally with them.

 

Verdict: 3/5 . Nice for a floral, but not for me... it's too "proper-young-churchgoing-gal-wearing-gran's-perfume" for me.

[Suu4LC]

In the imp, this is a pretty floral incense blend. Smoky, light rose and lily.

 

It's quite a bit stronger on my skin-I would no longer call it "light". But it quickly mellows into an incensey rose blend. Less lily, mostly rose. Mostly a straight up rose and incense blend.

 

This dried down to a sweet powder, which sometimes happens with me and incense blends. It was nice to start with, a lovely rose incense, but I couldn't really see myself wearing it and it went to powdery very fast. I would definitely recommend it if the scent description is up your alley though!

[calivianya]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab.

 

Hymn goes on with very strong lily of the valley, with the rose and frankincense as supporting players. As it dries down, it goes a lot more sharp than I expected it to. I can't yet pick out laudanum as a note, but this blend makes me wonder if it isn't good with my skin chemistry. It's either that or the lily that is misbehaving, but I'm not sure which. Anyway, this started out light and springy, and ended sharp, slightly resinous, and very soapy.

[venusinfurs]

I got this as a frimp from the lab.

 

In bottle: very floral, a bit green

On skin: Quite strong and soapy. Goes a little more soft/powdery as it wears on.

On skin after 10 minutes: Ahh, a little bit of incense finally! I like BPAL's rose note, but I can't smell it at all. It's all soapy and lily on me, until the spicy incense comes out a bit. I don't hate it, but it's a very pure/white smell that I can't see myself wearing very often. Maybe to church services on Good Friday or Christmas Eve, or a child's baptism. I'm not a huge fan of soapy florals, but this one is very well blended.

Edited January 17, 2012 by venusinfurs

[SadariEvenstar]

I adore thee, Mother Mary

But would you change me back to a witch

Solas "On A Sea of Fleur De Lis"

 

There isn't much about the Catholic Church that I feel nostalgic for but this brings back some of those memories.

 

The empty church quiet and beautiful.

 

First communion - which was always done on Mother's Day in my parish. At the end of mass the kids would bring a crown of flowers out to the statue of Mary.

 

This mixes and melds those two memories and I find myself feeling peaceful and nostalgic. I always loved Mary when I was a child, and this scent is perfect reminder of the childlike regard.

 

eta: After a whole day's wear it still smells lovely on my skin, but anywhere that it got on my clothes it's just awful. Single note screechy rose. Wierd, I've had the reverse happen before, but nothing like this. I'm actually thinking of changing my shirt.

Edited June 26, 2012 by SadariEvenstar

[hexnut]

HYMN

 

Freebie, tested blind.

 

In Vitro Uh oh. Nothing except what I've come to think of as resin. Not promising.

 

Wet Sweet resin, strong throw. I only applied the usual test patch but my room smelled like I'd slathered the stuff.

 

Drying Entirely base note(s) and insanely strong for the first fifteen minutes. It didn't smell bad, but it wasn't something I wanted to smell like. After fifteen minutes the scent mellowed and shrank down close to my wrist. As it faded it became pleasant but not enough that I was willing to endure the preceding stages.

 

Looked up the description and Hello, venerable Myrrh and Frankincense, looking down your noses at me as usual. I don't know your friends Olibanum and Labdanum but I'm not eager to make their acquaintance. And Rose and Lily, you could have spoken up but no, not a peep from either of you. You ladies can all swan off to find someone more your style.

 

 

 

26

[neuilly]

This was very cloying on me. The Rose was the main note and it felt on the verge of decay and rather damp. There's also a somewhat soapy note to it. Oddly I don't get much else.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): It’s not an overpowering Lily of the Valley that meets my nose upon first sniff, which is such a positive. After second sniff, I can tease out very light rose and just a touch of frankincense. I get the impression of thoughtfulness and purity.

 

Wet: It’s still delightful with the frankincense and lily. It’s heady and but pure, just the way I like it. As it begins to settle down, the rose peaks out. Lovely!

 

Dry: The frankincense is a bit stronger a bit stronger when dry, leaving just the faintest hint of lily. This is still something of which I would consider getting a larger bottle.

[sth0]

Wet, Hymn has a biting resinous quality. It is difficult to smell the rose but the lily is there. I believe the myrrh is the element that smacks one in the face and makes itself known.

When first applied, it is much the same as when wet only the rose sneaks out. It is rather unpleasant, in my opinion, for about an hour. Then the more noxious elements recede and it becomes a resinous rose.

 

I am not willing to get through the long dry-down process to wear it again.

[Deliciousness]

Based on an incense blend sacred to the Virgin Mary: perfect rose absolute and Palestinian Lily of the Valley with olibanum, labdanum, frankincense and myrrh.

 

This was a frimp from the lab ... thanks guys!

 

In the imp: A cool or watery floral incense.

On skin: Very similar to the imp, only the floral notes are stronger. I can't make out exactly which floral notes I'm smelling (but rose and lily of the valley is listed within this scent description)

Dry on skin The myrrh is making itself known now. The floral is still there, but is turning slightly powdery.

 

This is the second time of wearing this and I'm getting more powdery and incensey myrrh notes. When I first tested this, it was fresh and floral, much less powdery. I guess that just goes to show you how different skin chemistry can be during different days of the month.

 

As an aside, I really liked the first time I tried this scent as I could really pick out the floral note of "lily of the valley". I think that that note makes this blend more green and fresh which is what I'm really missing this time around

[Dani87]

Imp: lily lily lily!!

 

Wet: lilies with maybe a little rose in the background. Mostly lily though.

 

Dry: lilies with a soft smokey incense around it.

 

Overall: Love it!! Absolutely gorgeous. This stays mostly lily on me, but a true lily, very life like. I think that if I layered it with a dirt scent it would smell just like a graveside service. I also want to try it layered over a vanilla, and also a leather sn. I need a bottle for sure!

[vthesiren]

At first, I was disappointed that I wasn't getting more of the frankincense/myrrh/resin - it was just a soft, somewhat soapy rose/lily floral. But the more I sniffed my wrist, the more I liked it, and I've just re-applied it! It's a very pure, clean, unobtrusive scent, and one that I can imagine would be great for everyday use. Not sure if it's bottleworthy quite yet, but I'll definitely hang onto my imp.

 

eta 6/15: The more I wear it, the more I get of the incense when it dries down. It's beautiful. This has become one of my everyday go-tos, and I've just ordered a bottle last night.

Edited June 15, 2013 by vthesiren

[wisdomeagle]

In the imp and for the first two minutes or so, this was green and sharp, then suddenly explodes into delicious omg ROSE with incense -- deep floral spiced with incense. I was all ready to go yes pls many bottles and will wear it every day and pray all the rosaries and then after about 2 hours it went powdery, and then faded all together, much much faster than the other imps I tested this week, which all lasted a good 10 hours.

 

Verdict: Keeping the imp for wearing to bed, for that first hourish of nommy delicious rose+incense, and searching for a longer lasting floral incense.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Why, hello, rose! And something else, sharp and a little sweet.

 

Wet on skin: About the same on my skin, though a little less sharp.

 

Dried down: More of a soft rose, now.

 

Throw: A little bit of rose.

 

Verdict: *** Very pretty, since I like rose. I'm a little surprised I didn't get any frankincense or myrrh or of this, since I tend to amp those like nobody's business. But I suppose if I had gotten them, they might have taken over on me. Oh well. I was hoping for a little more, but this is a perfectly nice rose scent on me.

[lizardqueen]

Rose is very prominent to my nose in the imp and fresh on my skin--almost like rose water.

 

As it dries down, the rose remains on top, but underneath there's a general feel of soft, soapy florals. Makes me think of a bubble bath my mom once had (Crabtree & Evelyn, maybe?), but somehow fancier.

 

It's not for me, but if soft-soapy-rose-floral sounds good to you, it's definitely worth a shot!